Coach Will Wade held his first press conference of the season, officially kicking off what is a highly anticipated year for LSU basketball.  The groups’ internal expectations are very high, but Wade said each and every guy will have to go out and “earn it.”
Development of returners
Wade said the development of returning players like Tremont Waters, Skylar Mays and Wayde Sims has been “staggering” with each one transforming their bodies in the offseason.
“They have a good understanding of how things work,” Wade said. “Our returners are leading the way and I’ve been very pleased with those guys.”
Waters, who tested the NBA market this offseason, spent most of his time improving his defensive range and Wade said he’s playing at an overall higher level then he was a season ago.
“I’ve told him that now that you know what you’re doing, you have to bring the other guys,” Wade said. “Having him understand the process of not doing everything yourself has been very beneficial for him.”
Sims has improved his body and shot that should contribute to the team on the defensive side.
“When you sees Mays and Sims and see how their bodies have changed, you’re going to be surprised,” Wade said. “Those kids have worked extremely hard. We just lay the path, they’ve got to drive the car.”
Issues from last season
Some of the issues the team faced last season include shot blocking and rim protection because of being longer at the wing and bigger in the post. With the addition of big men Emmitt Williams, Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams, controlling the paint will be a much easier task.
LSU was dead last in the SEC last season in rebounding and 13th in blocks.
“Hopefully by playing bigger we’ll be able to rebound the ball a little more efficiency,” Wade said. “This year I think we need to be really good at three or four things on offense and defense as opposed to last year where we had a grab bag of things that we tried to utilize game to game.”
Offensiely, Wade said the biggest point of address is limiting turnovers. With a team that has many different guys that can make plays, it’s important to not make crucial mistakes.
“I think not turning the ball over and taking good shots will allow our defense to get set,” Wade said. “We’re building good habits with our offensive rebounding.
Wade said the team also needs to improve in their special teams area: free throw situations, baseline out of bounds and sideline out of bounds.
“I mean 30 percent of the game is after a huddle,” Wade said. “And we were terrible after huddles. We got beat on fast breaks, missed free throws. We gave away too many points in those situations.”
Guard Chemistry
Waters and freshmen Ja’Vonte Smart have been on opposing teams in practice which Wade said has led to great competition. The chemistry between the two, along with junior guard Skylar Mays will result in some three guard lineups according to Wade.
Wade said he has an “unbelievable” amount of trust in Mays and that he has been “shooting the cover off the ball.”
“I think iron sharpens iron so you want guys who’ll compete against each other,” Wade said. “I like the way it’s a back and forth battle, sometimes Tremont’s team wins, sometimes Ja’Vonte’s team wins.”
Wade said he loves Smart’s toughness and that he brings an edge to him that the team didn’t have before. Wade said Smart had one of the most impressive days he’s ever witnessed last Friday when Smart won sprints, his team went 4-0 and had a complete day.
“I don’t hand out complements very much, but Ja’Vonte is as tough a competitor as I’ve seen,” Wade said. “He’s the real deal. One of the most impressive things I’ve seen as a college basketball coach was his last Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. That stuff translates to winning.”